The Office of the President is poised to study the possibility of releasing Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio's tax records if the Senate requests access to them for her impeachment trial.
According to Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro, the Office of the President has not yet received a formal request from the Senate to open a sealed Bureau of Internal Revenue "green box" containing the income tax returns of Ms. Duterte and her husband, Manases R. Carpio.
Ms. Castro stated that once a request is received, it will be studied, and the President will determine the appropriate course of action.
The sealed box contains confidential tax records of the Vice-President and her husband, which House prosecutors sought to use as evidence in support of allegations of unexplained wealth.
Senator Panfilo M. Lacson has emphasized that presidential approval would be necessary before the Senate could examine the records during the impeachment proceedings.
Ms. Castro acknowledged the importance of legitimate documents in establishing the truth and suggested that all relevant documents should be considered in the impeachment trial.
The fourth day of the impeachment trial saw National Bureau of Investigation Regional Director Jeremy C. Lotoc take the stand as the prosecution's second witness, followed by NBI Senior Agent John Mark Sta. Ana Calilung.
Before Mr. Lotoc's testimony concluded, Senator-Judge Paolo Benigno "Bam" A. Aquino IV questioned the defense over the absence of an explicit denial that the Vice-President had contracted someone to carry out the plan to kill the President, his wife, and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez.
Defense lawyer Mark C. Vinluan rejected the senator's characterization, stating that the defense had denied all allegations in its answer before the impeachment court.
Mr. Aquino then asked whether the defense had specifically denied that Ms. Duterte had contracted a person to carry out the killings, noting that its pleadings appeared to rely instead on freedom of expression to defend her statements.
Mr. Vinluan maintained that the defense's answer contained both general and specific denials.
Earlier in the proceedings, prosecution lawyer Amando Virgil D. Ligutan questioned Mr. Lotoc about the NBI's investigation, which concluded that the threats were "serious and real."
Seven video clips from Ms. Duterte's media briefings, in which she uttered profanities directed at the President, were played before the impeachment court. Mr. Lotoc said the statements formed part of the NBI's assessment of whether the threats were genuine.
Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro also dismissed claims by Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Z. Duterte that the impeachment case was part of a three-year political effort to prevent the Vice-President from seeking the presidency in 2028.
